RadioShack and Walmart also offering iPhone 5c discounts

Yesterday, Best Buy launched a new limited-time promotion that provides a free $50 gift card to folks who purchase an iPhone 5c on contract. And since the handset starts at $99, the card essentially cuts the price in half.

Well it looks like Walmart and RadioShack want in on the action, as both retailers have announced that they will be offering similar discounts that will allow customers to score the two-week old handset for as low as $45…

RadioShack, for its part, has matched Best Buy’s offer of a free $50 gift card with any iPhone 5c on contract. In this case, however, you can use it toward the purchase of the handset. The promo is good through November 2nd.

As for Walmart, it has outright dropped the price of the 16GB iPhone 5c down to $45. That’s a better deal than both RadioShack and Best Buy, and it’s good through the holidays. Again, it’s in-store only and requires a contract.

Some folks have speculated that these promotions have something to do with the 5c not selling well, but each retailer typically sets their own prices—not Apple. Also remember that Walmart has been discounting it since day one.

Still, it’s hard to ignore the fact that we have seen few iPhone 5s-related promotions. The handset, which launched alongside the 5c last month, is in very short supply, as it’s currently the top-selling phone at all major US carriers.